Minnesota teachers pay dues to two national unions, the NEA and AFT, as well as the state union, Education Minnesota. In fact, the bulk of teachers’ dues goes to national…
Coming out of Election Day two weeks ago, much has been said and written about how conservatives and Republicans generally did lousy in suburbs across the country, and how they…
Building on the concept of opportunity cost, Howard Baetjer explains how specialization and trade make us richer.
Patrick J. Michaels is the director of the Center for the Study of Science at the Cato Institute. Michaels is a past president of the American Association of State Climatologists…
If they keep this up, the rabble-rousers opposed to the Enbridge 3 pipeline replacement project may yet prove there’s something to the layman’s definition of insanity. The hard-core group of…
Minnesota is now on track to spend $2.03 billion for about 15 miles of track. Note that you can add road lanes for about 10% of that cost. My theory…
All economic behavior occurs at the margin. The decisions of economic actors are “bit by bit” decisions, not all-or-nothing ones.
Wind energy is a $14 billion industry made up of wind facilities, turbine manufacturers, and financiers. While the industry grew over the past few decades, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and…
Did you know that Minnesota has the highest population of wolves of any state in the country? The growing population has led to efforts from Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson to…
Howard Baetjer explains scarcity, the problem that any given good of finite supply can only ever be put to some of the many ends for which we might use it,…
As leadership positions for both parties took place yesterday, Minnesota's three term Rep. Tom Emmer was elected NRCC Chair after having run unopposed for the position. Set to replace Rep.…
MPR ran a piece about the efforts of Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Minnesota to educate people on how to lower their utility bills. Among the brilliant, energy-saving insights provided…
With charter school enrollment on the rise, the hunt for building facilities to accommodate student body growth is a challenge. But charters’ facility problems are not due to a lack…
Howard Baetjer outlines some basic concepts essential to understanding economics, including the natures of wealth and economic value.
Remember the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Chair who was so torn over the burdens of exercising her authority over the Enbridge 3 pipeline replacement project last summer that she sobbed…
The Star Tribune ran a story on Tuesday about how the University of Minnesota is (rightly) defending itself against a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by nine Gopher football players…
The objective of the $55 million RS Fiber Cooperative high-speed internet system looks intriguing on paper. Proponents pitch it as a world-class internet system designed to equip rural residents in…
Copper, nickel, and cobalt mining is a controversial topic in Minnesota, but is it more controversial than child labor? Like it or not, we all use these metals for nearly…
Previous Happenings include An Immigrants’ Cabaret, an evening of music, movement and poetry; Enacting the Dream, an opportunity to reflect on the lived realities of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals…
I had the pleasure of being on the Plugged In podcast, hosted by the Institute for Energy Research, last week. On the show, I talk about why closing down existing…
You may not have heard about Prop 12, the latest crackpot measure approved by voters in California, given the wild fires and mass shooting dominating the news from the Golden…
Guest column from attorney Peter A. Swanson: On Monday, the Hennepin County Bar Association is sponsoring a Continuing Legal Education seminar called "Attorneys of Color PLUS: Maneuvering Barriers to the Successful Practice…
It’s a common refrain for energy policy: it is cheaper to generate electricity from natural gas than coal. In some respects this is true, but power plant efficiency and fuel…
There is no problem with big businesses per se. If they have grown and stayed big by producing goods and services that consumers want to purchase, they are to be…